CHILD SAFETY SEAT- At what age does my child have to be in a safety or booster seat?

Arkansas Law requires that a child under six (6) years of age or sixty (60) pounds, be restrained in a child passenger seat properly secured to the vehicle. Any child over six (6) and under fifteen (15) years of age must be secured in a seatbelt.

CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS – How do I obtain one?

Criminal Background checks- General: the Sheriff’s Office may provide certain information to the public that is available for public disclosure under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act. This would include information from the Sheriff’s Office Records Management System on Incident/Offense Reports, Accident Reports, Jail Booking Records, Warrant Records, and Citations. Exceptions would be for records relating to ingoing/active investigations, certain personnel records, all juvenile records, and records sealed or expunged by Court Order.

By law, the Sheriff’s Office is prohibited from providing any records obtained from the Arkansas Crime Information Center database or the National Crime Information Center. Records from other jurisdictions must be obtained from the Law Enforcement or Court agency in that jurisdiction.

The Arkansas State Police Identification Bureau in Little Rock can provide a more thorough criminal history check that includes all of the State of Arkansas. Information on their procedures can be found on their web site at www.asp.state.ar.us

EVICTIONS – How do I evict someone or have them evicted? You must contact an attorney and/or contact the Stone County Circuit Court for more information.

DONATIONS – How do I donate to the Sheriff’s Office?

We welcome donations. You can make a general donation to be determined by the Sheriff where it will be most needed, or you can specify how you would like the money to be used. There are many areas that donations have assisted the Sheriff’s Office. These include school and youth programs, the “Officer Santa” program, purchasing bullet-proof vests, and the purchase of other equipment and training tools.

We are very grateful for the support of the community. With tightening budgets, some items for equipment and programs are just not available if it were not for the donations.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS – What does the law say?

At this time, there are not any laws in the State of Arkansas that address the issue of illegal immigrants in Arkansas. Immigration issues continue to fall almost exclusively under Federal jurisdiction.

Title 8, Section 1325 of the Unites States Code states that “any citizen of any country other than the United States who:Enters or attempts to enter the Unites States at any time or place other than as designated by Immigration officers; orEludes examination or inspection by Immigration officers; orAttempts to enter or obtains entry to the United States by a willfully false or misleading representation or the willful concealment of a material fact: has committed a federal crime.”

Although there have been many efforts to involve states in the area of Immigration control, Federal Judges in several lawsuits have ruled that control of illegal immigration is the exclusive domain of the Federal Government, and have prohibited states and local communities from attempting to enforce ordinances intended to control illegal immigration.

MISSING PERSONS – How and under what circumstances do I report someone missing?

Missing/runaway juveniles; The parent or guardian of any juvenile under 18 years of age may file a missing persons report at any time. These reports will be immediately entered into ACIC/NCIC law enforcement database and any jurisdiction coming into contact with that juvenile would be alerted that the juvenile is reported as missing or a runaway. Deputies will follow up on any leads or information that might be available to locate the missing or run away juvenile.

Missing adults; Any person 18 years old or older is considered to be an adult with full freedom of movement and liberty, unless that person is under the legal guardianship of another adult or a protective service. Deputies will take a missing person report at any time. The extent of the follow-up is dependent upon the circumstances of the disappearance. If evidence indicates that the person is missing by forcible abduction, or is endangered, an immediate full follow-up would be initiated. If, however, the person simply has not been seen recently but no evidence exists that indicate foul play, then our options are limited under the law.

In all cases, a report will be made and an attempt to locate the person will be done.

POLICE REPORTS – How do I get a copy?

Most Sheriff Office records are public information under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, and are available to the public for a nominal fee. These include incident and offense reports, accident reports, and certain jail records. We will not compile statistical data or comparative information from any reports, but individuals may get copies of the available reports during regular office hours. copies of reports are $10.00 each report.

In some instances, accidents worked on state highways may have been investigated by the Arkansas State Police. Those reports would not be available at the Sheriff’s Office, but copies can be obtained at the Arkansas State Police headquarters in Harrison Arkansas. Their phone number is 870-741-3455.

PROPERTY BOUNDERY DISPUTES – The Stone County Sheriff’s Office will not intervene or settle property line disputes, other than to the extent of ensuring peace and the investigation of a criminal offense. These disputes are a civil matter and should be addressed by the private parties and settled in Civil Court by a Judge.

Deputies cannot exam deeds, landmarks, or survey documents to determine or settle property boundary disputes. We will take a written report if asked to, for informational purposes only, but that will be the extent of our involvement unless an order is issued by a Judge to perform some function or order of the Court.

PROTECTION ORDERS – How do I get one?

Orders of Protection are issued by the Circuit Court to protect victims of domestic violence, and to protect persons against acts of violence.

Applications and forms are available at the Circuit Clerk’s Office the Clerk may assist applicants in filling out these forms. Additional help for victims of domestic violence may be obtained from the Stone County Abuse Prevention staff.

There are no costs associated with these orders. They are free of charge and no filing fees or service fees are needed.

The completed application is presented to a Circuit Judge for review. The Judge may question the applicant as he determines whether or not there are sufficient grounds to issue the order. If the application is approved, the Judge will immediately issue an Ex Parte (temporary) Order of Protection which the Sheriff’s Office will serve on the offender. This order cannot be enforced until the offender is served.

When the offender is served, the Order will specify a court hearing date and time. The offender will have that opportunity to challenge that order at that time. At the time of the hearing, the Judge may make the order permanent (up to 10 years) may modify the provisions of the order, or may terminate the order, depending upon what ever action that the Judge deems appropriate.

The Order may award temporary custody of children or dependents to the applicant, may award spousal support, temporary possession of a residence, or any other order that the Judge feels is necessary.

After the order is served, Law Enforcement Officers may make an arrest without a warrant if there is probable cause to believe that the offender has violated that Order of Protection. Any violation of that Order is a criminal offense (Class A Misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail and/or a fine of up to one thousand dollars). The Judge issuing the Order can also punish for contempt of Court.

Mutual or two-way orders are not permitted, however, the parties involved may obtain separate Order of Protections against one another if the Judge deems that necessary.

SEX OFFENDERS – What are the different levels and what do they mean?

Convicted sex offenders are required by law to register with Law Enforcement. The Stone County Sheriff’s Office is responsible for this registration process in Stone County with the exception of those offenders living within the City of Mountain View.

There are four levels of Sex Offenders under Arkansas law. The levels represent the likelihood that the offender will re-offend.

A convicted sex offender, who is assigned a risk level of 1, 2, or 3, is required to come to the Sheriff’s Office every six months to re-register. A level 4 sex offender is required to come in every three months to re-register.

When a new sex offender moves into the State, they must be evaluated and a risk level assigned. This process may take several months, depending on which state the offender has moved from. Once the risk level is assigned by the State of Arkansas, then the public may be notified by Law Enforcement.

More information on Sex Offenders can be found on the Arkansas Crime Information Centers website- http://www.acic.org/offender-search/index.php

Detention Officer Fritz Middleton is in charge of the Sex Offender ProgramTRAFFIC TICKETS – How much is my ticket and where can I pay it?

Traffic tickets issued by the Stone County Sheriff’s Office and the Arkansas State Police can be paid at the Stone County Sheriff’s Office, located at 1009 Sheriff’s Drive, Mountain View Arkansas. The Sheriff’s Office also receives fine payments and restitution payments. Payments can also be made at the District Court office, located at the court house.

Payments can be made at any time at the Sheriff’s Office. Cash and money orders are accepted and a receipt will be issued for the amount of payment. No checks or credit cards will be accepted.

Ticket amounts vary for each offense. Some of the most common offenses are listed below. If an offense is not listed, you can call or come by either the Sheriff’s Office or the District Clerk’s office to check on the amount. Also, some offenses are “must appear” offenses, meaning you must appear in court. You are responsible for checking to see if a court appearance is necessary.Left of CenterCareless/Prohibited DrivingDWI Must AppearNo Seatbelt in Use No Insurance No Proof of Insurance Drinking on Highway Passing a Stopped School BusNo Arkansas Drivers License Speeding 05-09 over the limit

TOWING OF VEHICLES – When does Law Enforcement tow vehicles?

The Sheriff’s Office has the authority to tow vehicles under certain circumstances. These include but are not limited to:when the driver of the vehicle has been lawfully stopped and the vehicle has been seized, with or without the driver being arrested,when the vehicle has been disabled in a traffic accident and the owner or operator of the vehicle is not there,when the vehicle presents a traffic hazard or is parked on a roadway,or in an emergency situation

On private property, the property owner may have a vehicle towed or removed that has been left abandoned or left without consent. The property owner is responsible for contacting a towing company. The Sheriff’s Office will not be involved in that procedure.

The Sheriff’s Office cannot tow vehicles from private property unless that vehicle has been seized by the Sheriff’s Office as a result of a criminal violation.

UNLOCKING VEHICLES – Can the Sheriff’s Office unlock my personal vehicle? Yes, Deputies will assist on gaining entry into your automobile. The owner of the car must be present for the officer to unlock the vehicle. It may take a while for a Deputy to get to this call, due to priority calls take prescedence over these type of calls. We are not responsible for any damages that may occur in obtaining access to your automobile.

You will need to contact a locksmith to assist in gaining entry into your residence.

WARRANT OF ARREST – How do I find out if I have one?

The Stone County Sheriff’s Office has many Warrants of Arrest that have been issued by the District and Circuit Courts within this jurisdiction. To find out if you have an Arrest Warrant, call the Sheriff’s Office or District/Circuit Clerk’s Offices for information.

Most Arrest Warrants will have a bond set by the issuing Judge. The Sheriff’s Office will accept cash or money orders, or a surety bond posted by a licensed Bonding Company.

Some Arrest Warrants will require simply an appearance at court, without a bond being posted. Any person wanting information on an Arrest Warrant may contact the Sheriff’s Office for additional information. We will try to reasonably accommodate you within the boundaries of the law, to allow you an opportunity to satisfy a warrant.

The Stone County Sheriff’s Office is aggressive in Arrest Warrant service, and generally does extradite those persons when we are notified a person is in custody in another jurisdiction.

WELFARE CHECKS – Will the Sheriff’s Office check on the personal welfare of people in their homes?

The Sheriff’s Office receives many calls for home checks on persons after family members and friends have not been able to reach or contact that person, and they are concerned for the person’s health or welfare. We will generally dispatch a Deputy to the address provided by the caller to check on the person.

If contact is made and it is deemed appropriate, the Deputy will arrange for the caller to be notified that the person is alright. These calls generally involve the elderly or disabled, and the Sheriff’s Office is dedicated to helping our community as much as possible.

These calls will be directed to a Deputy unless the call is for a custody dispute involving children. The parent or guardian calling must provide specific reasons based on facts as to why the child is in jeopardy. We will NOT be used as a tool to harass or intimidate others because of custody disputes or issues that remain unresolved by the courts.

If there are legitimate concerns, then we will make every effort to check on the health and welfare of children, and to ascertain if the children are in jeopardy.